SACRAMENTO – Three companies paid $1,436,252 to the California Air Resources Board for failing to comply with the state’s consumer products clean air regulations.

The companies are Kraft Heinz Foods Co. of Chicago, Ill., Mothers Polishes, Waxes, Cleaners Inc. of Huntington Beach, and CRC Industries Inc. of Horsham Township, Pa. All three were selling cleaning products in California that violated air quality regulations.

The onset of 2019 has brought with it a barrage of half-truths, lies and outright falsehoods when it comes to what California based fleets must do to comply with CARB rules for 2019.

While for the more proactive fleets who skipped interim on-road retrofit standards and went straight into 2010 engine technology, there is smooth sailing ahead for meeting the on-road truck and bus rule compliance well past 2023...for now.

Daimler Trucks North America will add hands- and foot-free driving capability to the latest version of its Freightliner Cascadia truck later this year, the company announced Monday at the start of the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Additionally, the sister company to German passenger car builder Mercedes-Benz will invest $570 million to develop fully autonomous trucks over the next decade.

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of grant funding to implement projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $40 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds.

"By financially supporting projects that upgrade aging diesel engines, EPA is helping improve their efficiency and reduce air pollution throughout the nation,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “From our grant programs to our new Cleaner Trucks Initiative, EPA is taking important steps to help modernize heavy-duty trucks and provide cleaner, more efficient methods of transportation that will protect the environment and keep our economy growing."

The holidays just another reminder that the registration ban is only 13 months away

Most folks who make up the California transportation industry have been focused on making it through the remainder of 2018 with the lights on and drivers in the seats. While the industry at large has been booming as of late, looming issues for fleets domiciled in the Golden State are drawing closer still.